Sunil Sarath Perera - symbol of the nation's cultural heritage

by Florence Wickramage

Environmentalist, Scholar and Writer Sunil Sarath Perera has won the Sarvodaya National Award 2005 for his unparalleled contributions to the fields of Media and Communication, Environment, Sinhala Literature and Songs (Lyrics) which has enriched these varied fields through his multifaceted talents.

His contributions towards nurturing artistic values of Sinhala Songs has been successful in upgrading the level of evaluation and understanding of Sinhala Literature as a whole by the nation. The skilful and artistic use of the sinhala language metaphorically in his lyrics has opened up new vistas in song-writing which creations are exemplary.

He has won several awards for his songs - with the `Best Song Award 1972' from the Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation for the song "Peradinayaka Ma Pemkala Yuvathiya" sung by Visharada Amaradeva. Sunil Sarath Perera won the National Award for Literature in 1996 for his book `Mahakanda', the Kumaranatunga Commemoration Award for the most creative Lyric (1972), the Sarasavi Kusalatha Award (1993) and the Presidential Award for the `Best Patriotic Song' (2004).

His expertise and contributions in various fields of mass communication has set high precedents which has won him many laurels. The services he rendered during his tenure as the Director General of the Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation has set many landmarks. Among them are the programmes "Buddha Poornima" beamed live from India and the musical programme "Manohari".

Environment is another speciality where Sunil Sarath Perera excelled. As the Senior Assistant Secretary and one of the Additional Secretaries of the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources Sunil Sarath Perera was a member of the delegation which attended the historic Rio Summit on Environment and Development in the year 1992 organized by the United Nations. He has also participated in a number of international conferences on Biodiversity and Traditional Knowledge.

Ideas presented by him has been highly appreciated and accepted as role models for Effective Communication and Research Laboratories to preserve dying languages. To his credit in the field of environment is the launch of the magazine "Soba" with him as the first Editor. His book titled "Udarata Menike" takes one on a delightful but scientific journey through various fields of environment such as biodivesrtiy.

Sunil Sarath Perera's book-self, Environment and Communication written in conjunction with the internationally recognised scholar Professor Wimal Dissanayake has been widely accepted as educative and informative.

His other contributions in this field is the book - Environment and Communication and Sustainable Development written in Sinhala. The subjects dealt in this book are derived from the Rio Summit and the Johannesburg Meeting.

In honour of his contributions towards Communication and Environment the Association of Environmental Journalists awarded the "Green Award" to Sunil Sarath Perera.

He pioneered the Environment Ministry's "Pavithra Ganga" (Clean Rivers) programme after a first-hand study of India's Pavithra Ganga concept which has benefited India as a development-oriented profitable programme. In addition Sunil Sarath Perera was the first to moot the adoption of a "Communication Strategy for Disaster and the adoption of a "Disaster Fund".

Sunil Sarath Perera's latest addition in the field of writing is his critical book on Tradition and Modernity in the form of a dialogue with Professor Wimal Dissanayake.

With his many faceted skills in the above fields Sunil Sarath Perera has been accepted as a symbol of the nation's cultural heritage. Through his many faceted creative talents and skills and his passion for the environment Sunil Sarath Perera has guided the Sri Lankan nation in the appreciation of the country's natural resources, national heritage, civilisation and culture.